Since 1980,
Our ultimate goal is the same today as it was 40 years ago: Do No Harm! By this we mean that all cables and components, to the extent that is technologically feasible, should get out of the music’s way by inducing the least amount of noise and distortion.
The Evolution Continues: The Four Elements Today
While minimizing noise and damage to the audio signal remains the North-Star constant, the ways in which
Solid Conductors
Strand interaction remains the biggest potential source of distortion in cables. Solid Conductors are the aspirational ideal and most complete solution to this problem. However, thoughtfully arranged multi-conductor geometries such as concentric windings are used to create our Semi-Solid Conductor technologies. These avoid many strand-distortion mechanisms and are in their own right ideal in a growing number of applications.
Directionality
All drawn metal conductors have a non-symmetrical, fish-scale-like grain structure. Because the highest Radio Frequencies (RF) are subject to skin effect, traveling on this deformed outer-surface layer of the conductor, there is a resulting increase in RF impedance in one direction versus the other. Since induced RF noise is parasitic (and doesn’t travel with the primary signal current), it takes the path of least resistance. At
Noise-Dissipation
Unwanted Radio-Frequency (RF) noise is and has always been picked up and induced into cable. This contamination ultimately masks and distorts critical portions of the audio/video signal. As this distortion-causing (parasitic) RF signal is more present today than at any previous time in history, we must depend on a wider arsenal of Noise-Dissipation technologies:
- ZERO-Tech (No Characteristic Impedance) applies Ultra-Linear Noise- Dissipation across the widest range of frequencies possible. It also enables uncompressed transient current transfer for AC power and loudspeaker/power amplifier applications.
- RF/ND-Tech (Patented Radio-Frequency Ground-Noise Dissipation) minimizes circuit misbehavior by cancelling induced RF noise.
- Tried-and-true DBS (Dielectric-Bias System) has evolved to include RF-Noise Traps that further reduce dielectric distortion and induced noise.
Metal Quality
Higher-purity conductor metals with smoother surfaces and internal crystal structures greatly reduce noise and distortion. Carefully finessed mixes of metals and conductor sizes can be effectively used to define a cable’s Sonic Signature—a cost-effective technique for high-value, high-performance models.